RNA has essential cellular functions and is a highly desirable target for small molecule modulators of function. Developing bioactive compounds that target RNA is challenging, however, due to the perception that RNA is “undruggable” (Guan & Disney, ASC Chem Biol 7: 73-86 (2012); Thomas & Hergenrother, Chem Rev 108: 1171-1224 (2008)). The lack of success in this area can be traced to a fundamental lack of understanding about the RNA secondary structural motifs that are the preferred binding sites of small molecules and about the types of small molecules that bind RNA motifs with high affinity and specificity. If small molecules could be reliably designed to target RNA, more effective therapeutic agents might be designed, much like studies of antibacterial agent binding to the ribosome were helpful for elucidating the intricacies of the translational machinery (Yoshizawa et al., Science 285: 1722-25 (1999): Carter et al., Nature 407: 340-348. (2000)).